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Dian Parkinson
Dian Parkinson (born Dianna Lynn Batts on November 30, 1944 in Jacksonville, North Carolina) is a former American model and longtime ex-Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right from 1975 to 1993. Dian Parkinson hails from Jacksonville, North Carolina. A Marine brat who soon made new residence in Virginia with her Military family. Dian was raised in a strict religious household which she soon chafed against as she turned to beauty pageants to help her escape her highly regimented lifestyle. In 1965, while living in Falls Church, Virginia, she won the Miss District of Columbia USA title and competed as Diana Batts in the Miss USA 1965 pageant, where she placed fourth runner-up. Parkinson won the 1965 Miss World USA contest. She went on to represent the United States in the international Miss World contest, and was first runner-up to Lesley Langley of the United Kingdom. Dian traveled during 1965 with the Bob Hope USO Show including performances in Vietnam during late December 1965 and also served as Queen of the 1965 Bob Hope Desert Classic golf tournament. In the early 1970s, Dian began to land small roles in TV and movies as well as appearing on covers of various magazines including Cosmo. She appeared in a 1975 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show titled "Ted's Moment of Glory" where she played a Game Show model. Parkinson went from playing the role of a Game Show Model on a TV sitcom to appearing as model on an actual TV Game Show. She first entered the doorways of The Price is Right in mid-April 1975, substituting for Anitra Ford for three shows. Dian returned to the show later that August when Anitra took a leave of absence from the show until October and during this time period, Dian wore a brunette wig as an attempt to look like Anitra during her absence. In November, Dian ditched the brunette wig and officially joined The Price is Right as the third permanent model and ran an 18-year stint until her departure in June 1993. While Janice Pennington holds the longest record of years as Barker's Beauty: 28 years, Dian holds the second-longest record as she completed an 18-year stint as a Barker's Beauty. In 1991, Parkinson took on a new challenge as she bared it all for the cameras in Playboy magazine, appearing on the cover of the December issue. Two years later, she bared it all for Playboy's cameras again appearing on the cover of the May 1993 issue of the magazine with the title Dian Parkinson: an Erotic Encore. Dian also appeared in a feature newsstand publication entitled Playboy presents Dian Parkinson and starred in her own Celebrity Centerfold video. Dian, after 18 years as a Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right, departed from the show as her last episode aired on June 18, 1993. Before the 6th pricing game, host Bob Barker allowed Dian to say a heartfelt goodbye to the home and studio audiences and mentioned that she was moving on to "pursue other interests". At the time of Dian's departure, there were rumors, particularly in the tabloids, that she had left the show because of an ongoing, escalating and nasty feud with Janice Pennington. Although it was reported that they quarreled (production staff seldom paired them together by the early 1990s), it was not the primary reason she departed the show. The following year in 1994, Parkinson was out for revenge as she filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court (case no. BC106366) against Bob Barker for sexual harassment, claiming she was forced into a three-year sexual relationship with Barker in order to keep her modeling job on The Price is Right. This prompts Barker to seek revenge on his own as he and his attorney held a live news conference where he revealed that he and Dian were indeed involved in a personal relationship outside of Studio 33 but he never forced her into doing anything that she didn't want to do, sexually or otherwise. Bob then announced that he was coming for Parkinson as he planned to sue her for malicious prosecution. Dian's sexual harassment case never went before a jury. In April 1995, Dian dropped the lawsuit after demands from her doctor because the ongoing stress was causing her health to dramatically decline and shortly afterwards in an interview, Bob Barker stated that he felt totally vindicated but the ugly legal wars were just heating up come October when longtime model Holly Hallstrom found herself on the chopping block after refusing to get involved in the Barker vs Parkinson battle. Hallstrom stated in her press conference that Barker wanted her to recall certain events differently that she had called them as well as make appearances on talk shows and do radio interviews and was fired after refusing to do so. After the dropping of her lawsuit, Dian's image in the Public Eye was forever tarnished as she became a recluse over the next several years, not being seen or heard from. She is rumored to still be residing in San Fernando Valley, California. Gallery 76_dian.jpg 83_dianelevator.jpg xmas86-038~0.jpg 233_dian233.jpg dian709.jpg dp6691.jpg dp7162.jpg dp7241.jpg Link Dian Parkinson Swimsuit Site Category:Models